This invention relates to a safety device for automatically actuating the air brake system for an entire train of cars when any one or more of the cars becomes derailed.
With the railroad industry long beset by the deteriorating condition of road beds and equipment and the lack of funds for the proper maintenance and repair of the same, the number of train derailments that occur each year has reached alarming proportions causing not only disruption of services to shippers and customers but tremendous financial losses in damage to equipment, road beds, loss of goods and injury or death to persons in many instances. I have observed that, particularly, in a long train of cars, the onset of derailment of a single car may not immediately become apparent to railroad operating personnel so that the brakes can be promptly actuated to stop the train and in such situations, before the train is finally stopped, it will have traveled a considerable distance during which time many additional cars will be pulled into derailment to materially add to the damages and losses which could have been avoided if the train had been stopped immediately upon derailment of the first car. Accordingly, it one of the important objects of the present invention to provide a safety device which will automatically actuate the air brakes on the entire train of cars at the time that any one of the cars becomes derailed and with such actuation being wholly independent of any action by railroad operating personnel.
Another object herein is to provide a safety device as characterized which is applied to the trucks at both ends of a railroad car and which acts automatically in response to the derailment of either of said trucks.
Further objects herein are to provide a safety device of the above class that is simple and economical to manufacture, can be installed either on new trucks or trucks presently in use and which is highly efficient for its intended use.